7 Answers
7

It is interesting to see the great differences between the Nordic LARP communities and their Anglophone counterparts.

I'll give some answers based on my experiences with the Swedish LARP community, and the views on this issue that are most common here.

We use very minimal lighting solutions. In-game, if it's dark then it's dark. We usually have tiki torches and oil lamps in our camps, but not much more. Electric lights are rare and usually only used in case of emergency.

We don't use special lighting for combat in the dark. With us, immersion trumps safety in most cases. Darkness adds a sense of suspense that is impossible to achieve with other means. Sure, accidents happen, but if people play by the rules and act responsibly there are rarely any accidents more serious than can be handled with a short time out and an apology.

Magic that requires light is so hard to get to look good, so it's rarely used. Some extremely otherworldly things such as demons use LEDs hidden in their masks to create some really cool effects, but work only because its so dark outside that you can't see the props.

So great to hear from a nordinc source. Do the players not have any access to light magic? If they do, how is it achieved?
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PureferretDec 17 '11 at 18:47

Usually, anything of that kind is restricted to scripted GM events as in a spontaneous situation, it is too easy to botch up and thus destroy immersion. I've never seen light magic done at a Swedish LARP, but if I'd do it, the wizard staff example in @Sardathrion's answer would be good (I imagine the actual light source hidden in some cover such as a frosted plexiglass crystal), but keep it restricted to trusted players who you as GM know will handle their combat-unsafe staff in a proper way.
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evilcandybagDec 18 '11 at 14:56

You need light. Period. You must have a well lit area or the combat is dangerous. Make sure everyone is aware of the "safety" call. There's nothing you can do but have big lights -- projectors are great apart for the poor sod who is in front of it. You can use filters (red is good, black lights are good) to make sure that you get more of a feel of night time. Filters do work on individual lights (for example colour glass on mocked gas lamps).

Non-combat
Anything is fine as long as you are still safe. You must have enough lights that it is safe to move about. Flash lights are good, so are mock up oil lamps. Do not allow naked flames (torches, oil lamps, petrol lights). Candles are fine provided that they are set on stable surfaces. Again, no fighting around candles.

Charcters' own lights

In a fantasy with magic LRP, I have seen a wizards staff (not combat safe) with batteries and a cluster of LEDs on the top mimicking a light spell. Easy to do, looks great, but you cannot fight with it. It would be easy to do "orbs of light" in the same way. Otherwise, we have jokes of mecha-bushi -- wind up torch, samurai character, call of "wait, I need power" followed by howling laughter...

Note that it is not a mag light, it is a wand of light project... Sheeeeeeesh

In non-fantasy or more modern LRP, then picking something appropriate is not hard.

I staff at a steampunk larp that takes both immersion and safety seriously.

For general character use: Most people carry around their own light sources (usualy flashlights or battery powered lanterns), but they mute them so that their lights do not blind others. The mute your light "rule" is especially true if you have something lit by the white LEDs. Colored LEDs are used quite often as an alternative as they do not bother people as much.

For area lighting: In the tavern we use those flame-less candles, a few antique looking lamps, and those little flickering tea lights (players will use these as well to light their cabins). Outside of the tavern a mixture of tiki torches, solar lights, and yellow xmas lights. The tiki torches tend to just be around the outside of the tavern while the solar and xmas lights are used to mark paths and stairs.

For timed light needs: We have creatures in our game who are identified by the color lights they have. What we use are these little colored LEDs that can be strapped to your fingers and have an easy to access switch to turn them on and off. Sadly I do not know where we get them, but they're are not homemade so they are out there somewhere for purchasing.

Two tips for not ruining night vision (pupil dilation) that are well known in the military:

Use a red filter. Red light does not affect your night vision any where near as much so if you need enough light to perform a close up activity (such as reading) then use a torch with a red filter.

Close one eye. Sounds a bit daft but if you close one eye when in the presence of a bright light then when that light source has gone you will still retain your night vision in the eye that was closed. It's a bit disorientating until you get used to it but works surprisingly well.

Just a note, night vision isn't controlled by pupil dilation but by the chemicals released inside the eye. Normal light conditions break the chemical down very quickly and it can take 30 minutes for it to fully recover. source
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PureferretDec 16 '11 at 20:02

No special lighting: No 'Out Time' lighting was used during play (camp lights and similar were close). People which had the feeling that they were not safe or could not fight safe in these circumstances did not engage into the battle. All others fought with safety in mind, so the battles were slow, blows were soft and people concentrated on their surroundings.

Big street-lamps or indirect lighting against the trees: The other solution were big street-lamps near or by the battleground which provided light. Or if a forest is near by, lamps which shine against the treetops and provide indirect lighting.

I don't think that for camp life and 'normal' LARP activities OT-light is needed. Within the camp there'll be enough lamps all the time and if you go into the wilderness you either rely on your nightvision (OT or 'In Time') or carry your own lights.

But I agree that for safety reasons during battle, OT lighting should be provided, especially for bigger battles. On the other hand, in some situations there can't be additional light provided (spontaneous encounter on a field f.e.) were the players have to rely on each other that they know what they're doing. My experience is that players know what they're doing if they going into the battle at night.

I'd recommend using blue lights to simulate night, but not complete darkness. Blue light will simulate a moonlit night, and will allow folks to move about and still see without necessarily disturbing the immersion. This was a trick that we used in high-school theater in order to keep the sound board running while not disturbing the rest of the audience.

Candle light (either electronic or real candles, depending on the site). In the tavern, the eating area is lit up by the light from the kitchen, but the tavern's light bulbs are off.

Ritual circles use rope lights, and these provide ambient lighting.

Trails

Trails are not lit, except by the moon and stars.

Safety Lights

Players may carry flashlights for safety, but they are typically off unless there's an emergency.

Combat Lights

We try to stage combat in areas that are under the moon or near enough to a campfire. If the night is particularly dark, we just make sure that the area is safe to fight in.

In-Game Lights

Players can use glow sticks to represent "Light Spells" in game. These typically are worn on necklaces and are commonly green (which grants the best color vision at night) or red (which supposedly hurts night vision the least).

Night Vision

After you spend enough time in the darkness, you'll learn that you don't want there to be many bright lights, as they hurt your vision more than they help.